Canon® Canon XC15 4K Professional Camcorder

The Canon XC15 isn’t really a replacement for the Canon XC10, but rather another level in the all-in-one hybrid camcorder arena. Key features include:

• 1-inch type, 8.29MP CMOS sensor

• 27.4-273mm f/2.8-5.6 10x Optical Zoom Lens

• Capture UHD 4K up to 30p using CFast or HD up to 60p using SD

• IS, built-in ND filter, and professional audio inputs

What’s the Diff? So, what separates this camera from its little brother, the ? The Canon XC15 adds professional-grade audio capabilities, expanded gamma settings, true 24p recording, and expanded exposure assists to the XC10’s already-strong feature set.

Same Sensor and 10x Zoom Lens. The use of a 1-inch CMOS sensor helps lend this camera its diminutive physical size, yet offers great low-light performance with an ISO range of 160-20,000. Its 27.3-273mm f/2.8-5.6 equivalent lens covers just about everything you’d need. There’s both optical and digital image stabilization to help prevent camera shake when extended, and dedicated zoom and focus rings akin to a typical DSLR lens. However, please note it is a manual zoom with no servo option.

Capture Professional Audio. The XC15 uses the MA400 shoe-mounted XLR adapter, which adds two phantom-powered XLRs, line/mic level switching, and physical gain controls. This configuration is similar to that of the higher-end Cinema EOS cameras.

Expanded Gamma Settings. Refined gamma settings put the image from the XC15 even closer to Cinema EOS standards, making it an excellent B-Camera choice to the and . Choose between Cannon Log, a production camera setting, and even EOS standard to match with Canon DSLRs.

True 24p. It’s now possible to record at true 24p—rather than the XC10’s 23.98 standard—in both 1080 and 4K. This can prove helpful for effects and graphics-driven work. The XC15 has the same the bit rate and frame rate as the C300 Mark II, making standardization even easier.

Waveform. A built-in waveform monitor makes exposure much easier, even in difficult viewing conditions.

This camera has its heart in the right place, but, like Doug E. Doug and the rest of the Jamaican bobsled team, it just doesn’t take home the gold.
The 1.0-inch sensor sits somewhere square in the …

This camera has its heart in the right place, but, like Doug E. Doug and the rest of the Jamaican bobsled team, it just doesn’t take home the gold.

The 1.0-inch sensor sits somewhere square in the middle of the sensor size pack, granting a tiny variance in depth of field, as well as a decent focal range (27mm- 273mm), all contained in a compact form. Regardless, the ramping 2.8 – 5.6 aperture and lack of a servo zoom seriously detracts from any of these pros. Another benefit of the “larger” sensor is better low-light performance over that of similarly priced, smaller-sensor camcorders.

Unfortunately, this camcorder lacks the awesome Dual Pixel AF drive found in some of Canon’s mid-level DSLRs, which I feel was a huge miss. Still, I guess it does capture 4K.

As for the difference between the XC15 and its little brother, Canon essentially added a removable audio unit and the few other upgrades discussed at the top of this page to the . That’s it.

How about we consider some alternatives and what they can offer you? For a camcorder that can still record 4K and offers more flexibility than the XC10, I suggest looking at the . If shallow depth of field is more important to you than resolution, the paired with an compares favorably to this camera (though you’ll need to add a to get the same audio options).